Who to Choose
by HP Slash Luv
Summary: Scorpius must choose between his lover and his father. Warnings: slash, age discrepancy, slight language, cross gen


**Warnings: **slash, age discrepancy, slight language, cross gen

****Disclaimer:**** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**  
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**Notes: **In this verse, James Sirius Potter and Albus Severus Potter were both born, but Lily Luna Potter does not exist. Harry and Ginny divorced before she could be conceived. Harry and Scorpius are in an established relationship; I may write a prequel about how Scorpius and Harry got together, but that waits to be seen. Last, but definitely not least, I had a wonderful beta who helped make this story what it is.

_HPSM~~HPSM_

"Harry, I know you're worried. I'm worried too, but I'm sick of being kept hidden. I feel like a dirty little secret, or a whore that you just use to have fun. Neither are very good feelings."

"You know that's not how I feel about you."

"You're right. Deep down I know that, but you can't always control how you feel.'

"There's a good chance your father won't accept it. You realize that, right?"

"Harry, my dad loves me. If he knows I'm happy, he'll be fine with it."

Harry wearily shut his eyes. He knew his lover was going to get hurt, but the young man was in complete denial. He wanted to believe the best of his father, but Harry knew the truth. Not only did Draco Malfoy loathe Harry; he also, like many purebloods, could not stand gays. No matter how much Harry tried to get Scorpius to see reason, the younger man refused to listen. He would just have to lend his support as Scorpius' delusions were shattered, as well as be prepared for the very real possibility that he could lose the person he loved.

"Okay, let's tell my kids first. I have a feeling they'll be easier."

Scorpius' smile was breathtaking, and his kiss breath-stealing. They became more heated, and as Harry was taking off Scorpius' robe, the sound of the floo interrupted them.

"Dad, we're home."

"I guess it's time."

Scorpius pouted, "Albus really is a cockblock."

Harry chuckled. "I really need to stop giving you muggle terms."

"Don't, I like being bilingual."

"It's not really being bilingual…uh…never mind. Let's go."

_HPSM~~HPSM_

Harry had just finished breaking the news two his two sons. They were both sitting silently. Harry wasn't too worried about James, but Albus and Scorpius had been friends for years, and he didn't want them to lose that closeness.

Albus was first to speak. "How long have you liked my dad Scorp?"

"I had a crush on him when I was 15, but the older I got, the stronger my feelings become." Scorpius was momentarily silent, but seemed to realize what Albus was really asking, even while Harry was clueless. "Albus, my feelings for your dad had nothing to do with my becoming your best friend. I liked you before I even knew what a crush was. We became friends because we were both in Slytherin. If I ever entertained the notion of using you just to get closer to your dad, he would not have looked at me twice."

Harry had his arm around his lover. "Albus, James, I love both of you very much. You two are my sons, and you will always be my sons. I haven't felt like this for anyone since your mother, and truthfully, my feelings for Albus are a lot stronger than my feelings for your mother were."

James and Albus were looking at each other, obviously having a silent conversation. At times like this, they reminded him of Fred and George Weasley. They came to some sort of conclusion, and Harry held his breath, waiting to hear their verdict.

"Dad…" James began. "Oh fuck it." Harry didn't get the chance to chasten James for his language, as the young man was hugging him somewhat fierce. When James pulled back, he tried again. "Dad, I won't lie and say this isn't weird for me, because it is. Scorpius is my little brother's age after all, and if someone your age was dating him, no one would ever find the guy's body. So I'm going to be a hypocrite and say I accept whatever this is. If you two love each other, you have every right to be together. Neither Albus, nor I, want you go grow old alone."

Harry hugged his eldest son to him, extremely gratefully for James' understanding. It was Albus' turn and Scorpius was fidgeting

'Dad, do you have to be together? Can't you find someone your own age?"

"Albus, I love you, and I respect your opinion. I hope you can come to accept us, but my relationship with Scorpius is nonnegotiable. I love him too much to give him up."

"And Albus, you may have been my best friend for years, but your dad comes first in my heart. I will always choose him."

"I guess I accept then," 'Albus replied grudgingly.

James watched his brother walk off. "Don't worry guys. He'll come around for real eventually; it will just take time."

_HPSM~~HPSM_

Harry was sitting in Malfoy manor, waiting for Draco to arrive. The Malfoy patriarch thought it was just going to be him and his son.

Harry was soothingly rubbing his lover's hand when the floo was heard. Draco's eyes flashed when they rested on the picture of Harry sitting next to his son on the couch. His eyes then targeted on their clasped hands. "What is going on here?" Draco's voice was dangerously low.

Scorpius took a deep breath, obviously mentally steeling himself. "Father, Harry and I have been lovers for almost two years."

There was no thunderous uproar like Harry thought there would be. The silence was much worse."That's no problem." Scorpius' face lit up, but it quickly fell, as Draco continued. "You'll just end it right this minute, and settle down with a nice, pureblood i_female_/i." Draco emphasized the last word.

Harry sighed. This was what he feared. "Listen Malfoy…"

"Stay out of this Potter." Draco's tone was firm.

"No, I'm not going to stay out of it. Listen, we hate each other. I definitely agree with that assessment. My feelings for you though, have nothing to do with my feelings for your son. I love him more than anything, and he knows that. I want to be able to bury the hatchet with you for his sake, so he doesn't feel like the rope in a tug-of-war game." Harry hoped he could get Draco to see sense; otherwise someone was going to get hurt, and it would most likely be Scorpius in the end.

"If you think I'm going to place nice Potty, you're delusional. If my son knows what's good for him, he won't associate with the likes of you any longer."

"You can't be serious," Scorpius' whisper was heartbroken.

"'Come on son. You know I'm not a fan of joking. You have a choice to make."

Scorpius looked to Harry, looking so helpless, eyes beseeching Harry to guide him. Harry's heart thudded in his chest. He didn't have to think. As a father himself, he knew what the right choice was, no matter how painful it was.

"Scorpius, I love you so much. I love you enough to let you go. I know we told my children that we would always choose each other, but I think that was a lie. Scorpius, you'll find someone else you can love, but you will only ever have one father, and I refuse to take that away from you."

"What are you saying?"

Harry knew Scorpius was hurting, but he truly believed the Malfoy would thank him in the future. "I'm saying we're over. I love you, but I don't think we were meant to be. I have to believe that if we were supposed to be together, both of our families would accept us, even if there were reservations all around. Albus hates the idea, and your father would disown you, rather than accept us. You belong here as the Malfoy heir. Our paths only crossed due to my son. We should have never happened, and we will go back to never being.'

Scorpius was silently crying, making Harry turn his head away. Harry caught Draco's ugly smirk. Harry hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake. Draco seemed to actually be relishing the idea of hurting his only son, and that thought made Harry sick. "Don't make me regret this Malfoy," Harry's warning was deadly.

Draco didn't seem to care about the implied threat. "Stay out of my family business Potter. It has nothing to do with you."

Without a last look at Scorpius, Harry flooed to the leaky cauldron so he could Apparate home.

_HPSM~~HPSM_

Time seemed to lull by. James was becoming increasingly concerned for his father, and Albus wasn't much better. The youngest son was trying to deal with a lot of guilt, thinking he was the reason they broke up. Nothing Harry said could appease Albus' guilty conscious. Although Harry tried, he really didn't care enough to get Albus to feel better. Albus was a big boy now, and would get over it on his own.

Harry heard rumors about Scorpius on the rare times he went out when it wasn't for work, but he didn't pay much attention to them. Harry had firsthand experience with rumors, and knew that most of them were far from the truth.

'One day, while on duty undercover, Harry – with his glamoured Weasley red hair and plump frame – caught sight of his love. He'd been trying all morning to locate an underground group attempting to rise to power with the use of Dark Arts, when he caught sight of the young man seemingly waiting for someone.

Harry yearned to approach him. Harry was not sure how he would stave off the urge, but he didn't have to deal with it, as a young witch, who Harry recognized to be the daughter of Pansy and Blaise Zabini, approached the Malfoy heir, and the two shared a deep, penetrating kiss. Harry felt gut retching pain at the sight, but knew it would happen when he broke up with Scorpius. He wanted to look away, but it was like a train wreck, and he just couldn't. Gwen Zabini seemed to find the kiss quite enjoyable, but Harry knew how Scorpius looked when he felt pleasure. The blond was just going through the motions, but that was it. After they separated, Scorpius' eyes locked on him. Harry quickly turned away, afraid he'd give away who he really was. The worst thing to do would be blow his cover right now.

_HPSM~~HPSM_

Harry was puttering around, cleaning the muggle way. Harry usually used magic, but he just wanted to be busy. He had heard, through the grapevine, about Scorpius' and Gwen's upcoming marriage. There was a lot of talk about why Draco was putting such a rush on the courtship, but no one knew.

Of course, Harry knew. He really hoped Gwen could give Scorpius everything.

_HPSM~~HPSM_

James watched his father stomp around in anger. He knew his father was a bit unhinged because of Scorpius' wedding, but today he was worse that ever, and he had no idea what triggered it. Albus too was watching in fear. Neither wanted to say it out loud, but both worried if Harry was insane enough to attempt suicide. They have never believed once in their lifetime that their father would off himself, but those times were long gone.

Albus handed James an envelope, and the oldest son felt fury fill him. Draco Malfoy actually had the nerve to invite Harry to the upcoming wedding. He acted like it was out of the goodness of his heart, but James was no fool. Draco was doing everything he could to hurt Harry, and drive him over the edge. Maybe that was the goal even.

Albus didn't look much happier with what he found. He may have been unhappy with the relationship, but he loved his father enough to do everything he could to come to terms with it. Draco Malfoy was just plain cruel, and didn't seem to care about anything but his own happiness and image. He had spoken to Scorpius, and the only he was going through with the sham of the wedding was to appease his unappeasable father.

Something had to be done.

_HPSM~~HPSM_

Albus found Scorpius in the spot he loved when they were still in school. He wanted to yell and rant at Scorpius for hurting his father, for making his father feel and then simply abandoning him, but one look at Scorpius' puffy eyes, and Albus' righteous anger left. It was like it had never been there.

"Please don't yell, Albus."

Albus dramatically sighed, as if the whole world was on his shoulders. "Scorpius, why are marrying that bitch? And I mean it; she's a bitch, probably gets it from her mother."

"What other choice do I have?"

Scorpius stared incredulously.

"Are you kidding me? Say no for fucks sake. You don't love her. With how you were crying and whimpering, it's a safe bet to say that you don't even like her much. If you had at least liked her, I don't think you would have been crying."

"My father wants me to marry a pureblood female, Gwen in particular."

"So what? Do you think I've done every single thing my dad wanted me to do? I dated Teddy Lupin, my dad's godson for a short while. Do you think he was happy with that? Not only was Teddy a bit older, but he was practically family. I didn't stop seeing Teddy because of my dad though. We stopped because we decided we were better as friends. There has been a bunch of things my dad has wanted me to do, but I didn't do. Even if my dad was angry or upset, he eventually got over it, and allowed me to make my own decisions, or in some cases, my own mistakes. He accepted my decisions because he loves me enough to want me to be happy, even if he doesn't agree with my means to my happiness. Can you say the same thing about your dad?"

"My father loves me."

If Scorpius could be described as anything, it was stubborn. It was the Malfoy in him. "Then why is your dad doing everything he can to make sure you're unhappy for all eternity. You'd be stuck with Gwen. There's no divorce in the wizarding world. Do you know what your precious father did? He actually sent my dad an invitation to your i_glorious_/iwedding. It was just to hurt him, and your father succeeded. I have never seen my dad so crushed, not even when his marriage to my mom fell apart. He loves you more than anything."

"He abandoned me. He didn't even fight for me, or allow me to make up my own mind. He decided for me."

"You're wrong. He made that decision for you so you didn't lose your father, no matter how undeserving that bastard is. My dad loves you enough to give you up, to put your happiness before his own. He was only thinking about you, no matter how miserable it makes him."

"I don't know what to do."

"Follow your heart, Scorpius. I know it sounds cheesy and clichéd, but If Draco can't accept who you are, then you're better off without him. Do you really want to make him happy at the expense of not only your own happiness, but my father's as well?"

"He's really that unhappy?"

Was that hope Albus detected in Scorpius' voice? "Of course he is. My dad fell in love with you. He let you go for your own good, but it's killing him. Do what's best for the both of you."

Albus left Scorpius to his thoughts.

_HPSM~~HPSM_

Days passed, and the wedding was looming closer. Albus told James what he did, and about his fear that he may have not gotten through to Scorpius. Albus wanted to go back and confront Scorpius again, but James said no. They did what they could; it was out of their hands now. Albus didn't like that; he definitely had his dad's control issues.

Finally, the day of the wedding came. James and Albus had both decided that the day warranted days off at work, so both flooed in sick. Their father needed them, and that took precedence. Harry tried to fight them on it, but not too hard, which was testament to how bad he truly felt. Otherwise, they would have been warded out of the house until they agreed to go into work. One of the things their father believed in wholeheartedly was strong work ethic, and he made sure both of his sons had it.

They weren't doing anything special, just hanging out, being there if he needed to talk. It turned out; the only thing their dad wanted to do was get drunk. Who were they to stand in the way of what their dad desired. Neither of them were strangers when it came to using Firewhiskey to deal with emotions they'd rather not deal with.

They were on their third Firewhiskey, when the floo sounded. Their dad didn't acknowledge the sound, so James went to see who it was. His face was a mile wide grin, and Albus saw why when their guest followed his brother into the room.

Still, Harry didn't acknowledge any presence. Scorpius' feet shuffled, showing his apprehension. Albus saw that Scorpius was in his dress robes. He wasn't sure if that meant Scorpius was here to say goodbye to his dad, god Albus hoped not, or if Scorpius had run away from his wedding. James did look extremely happy, so that gave Albus hope.

James tried to subtly get Albus' attention. When that didn't work, he grabbed and dragged his younger brother away.

_HPSM~~HPSM_

"Shouldn't you be with the lovely Gwen?" Harry's voice was gruff; it was nothing like its usual sound.

Scorpius' eyes flashed at Harry's tone. "You left me! What did you want me to do, wallow in self-pity?"

"You sure didn't wait long to move on! I guess our whole relationship was a lie after all. Here I am, missing you like crazy, and you're off waltzing around with your soon to be wife. You couldn't care less about me. I was just a phase, someone to pass your time with until you were ready to marry."

"Fuck you, you selfish, arrogant prick."

"No, that title goes to your good-for-nothing father."

"You're right; it does. That's why I'm done with trying to please him. I shouldn't sacrifice anyone's happiness for my own."

Harry opened his mouth, but obviously, he was too drunk to come back with a witty comeback.

Scorpius' eyes softened. "I know you've been feeling hurt. I was hurt because I felt like you gave up on us when you let me go without any fight, especially after you told Albus that nothing could come between us. Not only did you let me go, but you pushed me to go. It wasn't until Albus sought me out that I realized why you did what you did. I realized you loved me enough to let me go."

"I do love you, so, so much." Harry's whisper was heartbroken, but now he sounded completely sober. "I truly thought you could find happiness without me, and then when it seemed like you were, I got so angry. I felt like it was so easy to be replaced in your heart, and it wouldn't have been that easy if you really loved me."

Scorpius moved to his love, curling his body into Harry's and sighing in contentment when he was held. "You could never be replaced. I was settling, and it wasn't even for contentment. Gwen is a gold-digging bitch, just like her mother. I would have been miserable with no way out, but I realized my father truly didn't care about any unhappiness on my part, as long as I kept up appearances. He even said I could have my perverted fun on the side, as long as I was discreet." Scorpius took a deep breath. "I never want to hide who I am or who I love, even if it means I no longer have a father."

Harry's eyes held hesitant hope. "I don't want you to have any regrets.'

"The only regret that matters to me is if I would have went through with the wedding and lost you in the process. You are my biggest opportunity, and the only one that matters."

Their lips meant in a sweet kiss. Harry broke away to place the nearly empty Firewhiskey bottle down, before going back to Scorpius' very tempting lips, pressing harder to devour them.

Both knew it wasn't going to be easy. Even though Scorpius said he didn't need his father to be happy, and it was mostly true, part of Scorpius would always feel that loss. Harry would worry that he was asking Scorpius to give up too much for them, especially when he got to keep his own family.

In the end though, Harry's family would eventually become Scorpius' family, so the loss would be barely noticeable. There will even be talk about adoption in a few years' time.


End file.
